Famiglia
by Laupez
Summary: The war between the Leones and Triads is getting worse and a female detective must fight against it to protect her family. Tommy Vercetti also returns to his hometown. Rated R for language and violence.
1. Night Shift

**********************************

_And thus, I return to write another fic. I actually started working on this one, while writing up From Darkness to Light. I did plan on making that fic longer, but I lost interest and wanted to write this instead. Again, I don't own GTA3 or any of the characters, other than Mary, she's my creation. All the other characters from the game are, of course, copyright Rockstar. This story goes more in depth with the __Leones__ and what things were beginning to take shape after GTA3. More chapters will be added as I get time to write them, and I will (promise ;)) Enjoy!  
**********************************_

Dark, and, as usual, all the sleazebags were out in Liberty City. Thugs, robbers, muggers, pimps, pushers, hookers. The moon was out tonight, and it illuminated everything on the street, it even seemed to outshine the blazing lights of the sex clubs along the Red Light District. This area was a breeding ground for those with nothing but pleasure on their minds.

The light was red, a hooker walked casually to the corner, adjusting her "endowments" and eyeing the street for any possible clients. She wore a red skirt with red boots, gloves and a red jacket over a black halter top which all fit snugly around her small, curvy frame. Her hair was dark ebony and she kept it in a neat bun with small, curly strands of hair falling around the sides. She was truly irresistible.

A disgusting green Manana pulled up to the light. The driver was fat with bright orange hair and he wore a blindingly bright blue Hawaiian shirt with matching blue shorts. A customer? He leaned over in her direction and flashed a smile, motioning her to come to the open window. Horns were blaring from behind him, he was too infatuated with her breasts to realize the light had turned green. She approached the passenger side and hung over the open window. 

The man's face alighted with excitement. "Hey, baby. I need a little action tonight, think you can help me with that?" he said, momentarily stroking his chin.

The prostitute let out a sly grin. "Sure, it'll cost you."

"I know, of course. How long can you do me for a fifty?" he flashed a green bill in front of her face.

She opened the door gracefully and climbed in. The man laughed a bit, almost expecting her to get to work right there. The woman smirked, raised her finger up and gave a scolding gesture.

"You'll have to wait until we get to the room." she said in a taunting tone.

The man gave a small giggle. "Sophisticated, aren't we?" His grip on the steering wheel tightened and he cleared his throat. "So, ah, where's this place at?" the man said eagerly, finally taking his foot off the brake, much to the relief of the line of motorists behind him.

"Not far from here." she answered as they coasted down the rest of the street. She pointed out the window. "Just over there, actually. In that building right there." she cooed, running her finger down his thigh.

The man jumped a bit in surprise, managed to compose himself and turned a sharp right at the intersection, and drove over to the building which bordered The Red Light District and Saint Mark's, parked the car on the sidewalk and got out with the prostitute. She walked towards the staircase, her body moving in a smooth, sexy way, hypnotizing the hapless sex fiend up to the third floor. The girl ushered him into the dimly lit room and gently closed the rusted door behind her.

The man went straight to the bed and sprawled out, ready to get what he paid for. The woman moved over to him, an insinuating smirk across her face. Before the man knew it, a uniformed LCPD officer burst through the bathroom door and another from the nearby closet, each wielding guns pointed at his carrot topped head. 

"W..What the hell.." the man stammered as the prostitute flashed her police badge.

"Sir, you're under arrest." she said with a sly smile as one of the other officers slapped a pair of handcuffs on the man's wrists. "You did know prostitution is illegal, didn't you?"

The man said nothing, somewhat even shocked what he was doing was against the law. As one of the undercover cops read the offender his rights, the other sat on a chair in the corner, a pen and pad of paper in hand. The woman got off the bed and stood in front of the cuffed man.

"I..I don't get it." The man stammered. "Why am I under arrest? I didn't do anything!"

"Under the prostitution laws, hiring a prostitute is illegal." She responded.

The man let out a long sigh. "How bad is this?"

"You'll get a fine at the most." Replied one of the officers. "Unless of course you've been convicted within two years. Then you'll get a fine and community service, maybe even a few months in jail. Sounds fun, doesn't it?" 

"We're not letting you off that easy." The woman said, folding her arms. "We want to ask you some questions first. If you make it hard for us, it'll be worse. Understand?" 

The man had a look of worry on his face. "N...now wait just a second. I can't just go on telling you everything I know. If they hear that I ratted on them, they'll kill me!" he stammered.

"Don't worry about that. You'll be safe in the police station. Okay? No one's going to attack you." She assured him.

"I hope you're right, or else I'm a walking dead man."

"Alright now, let's get started. Who's running the prostitution in this area?"

The man didn't seem to hesitate with his answer. "Everyone knows Luigi does."

The two undercover cops gazed at the girl, but she didn't seem to notice.

"I thought he just owned the night club?" she said, as if this was all new news to her.

"Well, he does, but everyone knows all the girls here belong to him. You don't think he makes all his money just by running a night club, do ya? Besides making money from his girls, all the other joints in the Red Light pay him a part of whatever they make. No one says anything, and no even thinks 'bout not paying. They don't want trouble 'cus Luigi'll give it to 'em."

"Sounds like you're a frequent visitor around these parts." One of the other officers commented. The man didn't reply. Instead, his face flushed red and he stared at the dingy hotel carpet. "Anything else interesting to tell us?"

The man hesitated for a moment before he spoke. "Well..I heard the war's still going on between the Leones and the Triads. Now it's gettin' dangerous 'cus I heard the Diablos were going to side with the Triads."

The woman's face softened, almost as if she was deeply worried. "Anything on when the big war will start?"

The man shook his head. "Things just keep building up. It'll erupt sooner or later. I dunno, that's just the babble I've been hearing from the girls."

The woman nodded in understanding. She turned to the man writing down on the pad. "That's enough. The boys back at the station can grill him for more if they want. That's all I need to hear."

"Heading out?" one of the officers asked.

"I've got some paperwork I need to get done." she said, smiling wearily.

"Need someone to ride with you to the station?"

"I'm a big girl, I can take care of myself." she said, as she closed the door behind her.

Mary Fiore walked out of the dingy hotel and down the dark, dangerous streets of the Red Light District. She had been a LCPD homicide detective for over three years and it had been the first time in her career she had to actually perform a sting. The LCPD just recently, under orders from Mayor O'Donovan, created a Vice unit of undercover cops to 'clean up' the Red Light district. She was supposed to have volunteered, but due to the lack of female officers in the LCPD, she didn't have much say in the matter when she was approached about it.

The combination of glowing neon lights and moonlight seemed to create some strange sort of artificial daylight on the streets as Mary continued to walk to her car which she parked in an alleyway across from the infamous Sex Club 7. It wasn't generally a good idea to take a stroll down the Red Light at night. It was notoriously the most dangerous area of Liberty city. She was conscious of everything around her, knowing full well all the punks walking around just waiting to take advantage of a "hooker". Needless to say, she didn't take her time. She hurriedly walked into the alleyway, her blue Sentinel was thankfully still parked next to a flight of stairs. She took her keys out of her coat pocket and approached the door. She clicked on a device attached to them to unlock the car and as she was about to open it, she could feel the presence of someone behind her. Quickly spinning around, she came face to face with two rather large, beastly thugs. They towered over her small frame with rather malicious looks on their faces.

"Hello, Mary." one of them, the largest, spoke.

She didn't know who they were, but they seemed to know her. It wasn't uncommon. She was the most well-known LCPD officer in the whole city. Liked by the citizens, despised by the criminal world. 

"You better stop yer goddammed stings in front of Luigi's club if ya know what's good fer ya." the other spoke.

"I'm just doing my job." she said softly. 

"Yeah, well I'm jus doin' mine." said the large man.

Before Mary knew it, she felt a hard fist across her face. The force was so great it sent her smashing into the door of the Sentinel, her body leaving a small dent in it.

"Christ, Rob! What the hell are you doin'?" the smaller man said, grabbing on to Rob's shoulders as Mary slowly regained her composure. 

"Like I said, I'm jus doin' my job." Rob said with a devious grin, pushing his friends arms away.

"If you hurt her bad, you're gonna be in deep shit.."

"Ah, she's fine. Just a little shakin' up, right sweetcheeks?"

"I hope you know the consequences for assaulting an officer." Mary grumbled, feeling her lip, as it began to bleed .

"I ain't worried." Rob laughed, grabbing Mary's arm. "C'mon honey, we're gonna go pay a visit to Luigi."

When they arrived in front of Sex Club 7, they hastily escorted her to the back service door and tapped on it. Seconds later, Mick, Luigi's number one bouncer, emerged. He gave a look at Mary and then gave a stern gaze at Rob and shook his head.

"Wait here." Mick said, closing the door. 

When he emerged, a young Italian man, dressed in a fancy Armani suit came out with him. As soon as he looked at who his goons had brought to his door, something between shock and surprise was visible on his face.

"Lookie who we caught nosing around, again." Rob said, squeezing harder on Mary's arm, whose lip was still bleeding profusely. "I say we take care of her for good, so she don't cause us more trouble."

"You do that to her?" Luigi angrily asked, looking at Mary's lip, as if he hadn't heard a word of what was said.

"Yeah, she uh, gave me some trouble. I had to put her in her place, ya know?"

"No, no I don't know." Luigi said hotly. He gave another glance at Mary and then back at Rob. He looked as if he was containing his anger, and it showed. His olive skin was now a nice shade of red. "Let her go and get inside." Luigi said through clenched teeth. Rob stood with a quizzical glance on his face, as if he didn't quite comprehend what was just said. "Are you fucking deaf? I said let her go!" Luigi yelled.

Rob seemed to mutter a few words under his breath as he released his grip on Mary's arm.

"Get inside." Luigi hissed at them. They did as were told and left Mary and Luigi alone. There was a short silence between them before Luigi spoke. "You gonna be okay?" he said sympathetically. Mary gave a small nod. "Go home and get cleaned up kid." 

He then turned his back and went inside to his club.

Mary felt her lip again and let out a long sigh before once again returning to her car. She could hardly wait for the long night to be over.


	2. Vigilante

***********

_I'm trying to get the chapters that have already been finished up as soon as I can, since I'd rather not wait and torture the people enjoying the story. Thanks also to the ones that have reviewed it so far. I truly appreciate your feedback :) _

_**********_

When Mary finally reached her car, she was more than relieved to sit in the comfortable leather seats and turn the heat up. Just another day on the job, she thought to herself. After a few moments of sitting and warming up, she drove out of the alleyway and onto the road. All she had to do now was report back to the station over in Shoreside and return home for a much needed rest. 

A light fog began to roll in as she drove out of Portland and onto the Callahan Bridge. As she made her way down the long stretch of road, and stopped at the light of the T-junction, she could hear faint sirens in the distance. She paid them no mind, after all, she was almost officially off-duty for the day, and high-speed chases weren't her jurisdiction. As the siren grew louder, a light blue Kuruma sped past, running the light. A few seconds later, a squad car roared by, clipping the side of her car, then swerving onto the main medium, taking out the pedestrians walking along it. They sure drove like no cop she ever saw before. As soon as the light changed, she floored her Sentinel and followed the speeding squad car. 

As she followed the blazing duo up the drawbridge, she saw the squad continually side-swiped the Kuruma, trying to knock it into the concrete divider. They continued the high-speed game until they reached the airport. The Kuruma suddenly came to a screeching halt as it tried to swerve out of the way of the traffic backed up at the light. The driver emerged from the car, brandishing a shotgun and randomly shooting at walking pedestrians. The squad car quickly accelerated and hit the driver head on, sending the body flying up against the hood and then back onto the street. The squad then continued on driving down the road. Ignoring the flattened criminal, Mary continued to follow it. This was obviously no ordinary cop. Picking up her cell phone, she dialed into the central dispatch to see if she could ID this "vigilante".

"This is central. What can I do for you?" the voice on the other end said.

"This is detective Mary Fiore. Can I get an identification of the driver of squad car 509 please?"

There was a short pause on the other end. "That car was just recently hijacked over at the Staunton station. Looks like you found it."

"Great." Mary let out a sigh. "Get an ambulance at the intersection off the bridge near the airport. We've got a critically injured and possibly dead criminal."

"Will do Mrs. Fiore. You can let them go and just have one of our on-duty boys take care of it. I know you're ready to call it a night."

"It's alright. I'm on my way to the station anyway. Chasing this renegade won't waste too much of my time. Besides, I can't just let them keep driving like that."

"Okay, be careful then, and let us know if things get too rough and you need backup."

Mary turned on her lights and siren. Almost immediately, the squad car sped up as they crested the top of the hill and sharply turned to the left. The car then took a right and onto the road of the dam, all the while swerving left and right, nearly hitting a Moonbeam head-on. They kept driving on until they got near the apartment complexes in Wichita Gardens. The light fog that had been covering the area suddenly had gotten much thicker. Mary slowed down a bit, not wanting to run into any other motorists or pedestrians. Knowing the risk of injuring others was much too great, Mary stopped the chase. As soon as she slowed down, the squad took the opportunity and sped off into the distance and was soon swallowed up by the fog. With a heavy sigh, Mary picked up the phone once again.

"This fog is getting bad. It's too dangerous for me to continue pursuit." 

"Alright, Mrs. Fiore. Thanks for taking your time. I'll send another car looking for it after the fog clears."

"No problem." she said tiredly.

"Good night, Mrs."

Mary's eyes searched around a bit more, but she saw nothing. Finally, she gave up, turned around and headed back to the station. As she walked in, the building was still buzzing. Just like the city itself, the LCPD never slept. Men and woman were going back and forth, criminals were being interrogated, people were filing complaints, officers were writing paperwork, it never ended. Mary took the elevator up to the third floor where her department, homicide, was at. As she opened the door and made her way toward her desk, she was greeted with a stern look from the department lieutenant.

"So, how did your sting work out?" he asked, a slight grin crossing his face. "Oh, that's a nice present they gave you." he added, pointing to Mary's lip.

The homicide lieutenant, Edward Hunter, was well known to have quite a strong dislike for Mary because of her family background.

"I didn't get much information..." she said, flopping down into her seat, ignoring Hunter's other remark.

"Well, what did you get?" he asked flippantly, leaning against her desk.

"Nothing we don't already know." Mary said, aggravation growing in her tone. "The Diablos are trying to move in on the Mafia's business in the Red Light and have sided with the Triads. The war's not over yet."

"And who's organizing the Mafia's "businesses" in the Red Light?" Hunter said, seething with pride, as if he had accomplished something great.

Mary's friend and partner Norris gave a look over to them and approached Mary's side. "Don't let him get to you." he whispered in her ear. "That's what he wants."

"Come on Mary," Hunter continued his assault. "You know this one. Isn't it your big brother, the pimp?" 

By now, the whole room knew what was going on, and everyone stopped whatever they were doing to listen up.

"Why do you keep giving her flak about that Hunter?" Norris asked, trying to defend his partner, "Since when did it matter what kind of family background a cop has? Everyone knows how good she is."

"And why do you think that is? Because she's a crooked cop, that's why! I bet she's been in with the Leones all along!"

"Which is why she's been bustin' 'em left and right, eh Hunter? Give it a rest already, will you?" 

Hunter let out a huff and headed for the door. "One of these days Fiore, I'll expose you for what you really are."

Norris rolled his eyes and looked over at his exhausted partner.

"I wish he's stop bothering you about that. You've been on the force for three years now and look at all the stuff you've been doing. That bastard's just jealous anyway. He couldn't have a record like yours in his dreams. And if I didn't know any better, I'd say he's been getting paid off by a few crime bosses. Damn hypocrite." Norris sighed, then glared at the others in the room who quickly went back to what they were doing. He then looked at Mary. "Why do you take that from him anyway? Why don't you just tell the chief he's been giving you a hard time?"

Mary was silent for a few minutes, looking down at the papers on her desk. "I can't." she said softly. "I just have to take it."

"Must be that Goterelli stubbornness, eh?" Hunter said with a warm smile. Mary returned the smile with a tired face. "Don't let him get to you, okay?" He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. 

Walter Norris was the kindest cop Mary had ever met. He was like her second father. Sometimes she even wished he had been. He was fifty-five with a slight beer-belly, a soft and gentle face, who was also balding save for the  wisps of white hair that had collected around his head like a ring, leaving only the top bare. He had also been with the force longer than Hunter and just about everyone in the department, and most would have wanted him as lieutenant, chief even. 

Mary combed through her thick black hair and untied the bun, letting her hair fall loosely around her shoulders.

"I just want to get home so I can get out of this get-up. God forbid my children see me like this." She said, grumbling through her papers.

"Worry about the report tomorrow, okay? You need to get home and take care of that lip of yours." Norris said, taking her hand and moving it away from the papers. 

"Alright. I guess the paperwork can wait." she got out of her chair. "Need a ride home tonight?"

Norris let out a smile and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah. Wife took the car in to get fixed. You don't mind, do you?"

Mary shook her head. "Naw, you're not too far out of my way." she said, returning the smile.

Mary and Norris got into her blue Sentinel and she headed for his apartment in Wichita Gardens. As they road, Mary talked to Norris about what had happened just before she arrived at the station.

"Hey, did I mention I found that missing squad car from Staunton on my way to the station?"

"Really?" Norris said with a raised brow. "Probably some punk who wanted to take a joy-ride, right?"

"No. It was some mad vigilante, going after a criminal. I've never seen anyone drive that crazy before."

"Hmm." Norris said as if deep in thought, "I bet I know who was driving it."

"What do you mean?"

"Remember the huge war that happened on the dam about a month ago?"

"Yeah..."

"Remember how it was one guy who took out all those Cartel?"

"Yeah, but we don't know for sure..."

"Well, that must have been him. Heard he does that kind of stuff. I heard he's really dangerous too. He's been workin for just about every criminal organization here. Also heard he was the one who killed Sal Leone."

Mary was rather surprised to hear that. The Salvatore Leone case had been Norris' and it was he who had been working on it since the incident happened.

"If you know who it is, why hasn't he been caught yet?"

"He's a real elusive son-of-a-bitch I guess." Norris was silent for a few seconds, "We're getting closer though. We know he's in Shoreside, somewhere."

Silence filled the car again for several minutes as Mary thought about what her partner just said. Wasn't it her fault then? Had she let a dangerous criminal just slip through her fingers? Her stomach sank as she drove down Cochran Dam road. 

"So, how's the family?" Norris asked, doing his best to change the subject.

"Fine. Damien and Elizabeth are just fine. Crawling along and getting into trouble as usual." 

"That's great." he replied softly, as if old memories of his children's younger years were coming back to him. "How's Vinny?"

"He's fine too."

"Still working at the Pharmaceuticals lab?"

"He owns it now. Just last week."

"Oh yeah, that's right. Man, since when did I get so behind with your life?"

"Maybe you're just getting old." Mary teased as they pulled up to the parking lot of the first apartment tower.

"I guess so." Norris said with a laugh. "Well," he said, opening the door, "I guess this is where I get off." He gave a nod. "Thank you ma'm."

"Not a problem. I hate to do this, but I'll be getting off early tomorrow. I promised my mom I'd stop by for dinner and bring Vince and the kids. I'm not going to be able to give you a ride."

"It's alright. The car should be fixed by early morning. If not, I'll get one of the guys to take me. I'm sure they wouldn't mind. Thanks again, Mary. I'll see you tomorrow." he said, shutting the door and heading for the complex. 

Mary gave a wave as he entered the building and then headed for her home in Cedar Grove. Commonly referred to as the "swank" homes, they were a row of four attractive and very nicely kept houses down the strip of road past the dam bridge. She lived in the one closest to the end, next door to what came to be known as the Cartel Mansion. The large place had been vacant for quite some time until it was acquired by the ring leader of the now defunct Colombian gang that had invaded Liberty during the last few months. 

She pulled into the driveway and parked next to Vincent's dark green Cheetah. Turning off the car, she entered into the house and silently closed the door behind her. Vincent had fallen asleep in his pajamas, as he often did, in front of the T.V. She clicked it off and gently nudged her husband awake. She was more than relieved to see him.

Vincent Fiore was a rather tall, well-built, attractive Italian man. His hair was a jet black. He had smooth olive skin, a strong nose and chin and deep brown eyes. He had recently become owner of Liberty Pharmaceuticals in Shoreside. He was a good man and husband. Vincent had been friends with Mary since early childhood. He had grown up alongside her, Luigi and Joey. The four of them had attended school together, hung out together and usually got into trouble together. It wasn't until the early teens came about that the four learned of their futures and became more distant from one another. However, Vincent and Mary had remained very close friends and it was no surprise to anyone that they eventually married.

Stirring from his slumber, Vincent opened his eyes and looked at her groggily. "What time is it?"

"I'm home, so you know it's late." Mary took a glance at the clock in the DVD player. "About one in the morning." she said, gently stroking his head.

He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked at his wife and gave her a smile. He moved over on the couch and she sat down next to him. "Hey babe." He said, kissing her cheek. "What happened to your lip?" he asked, noticing her bruise, even in the dim light.

"It's nothing serious. Comes with the job." she said with a small laugh.

"Are you sure?" he asked with concern.

She nodded. "I just need to put something on it before bed."

"So then…anything interesting happen today?" he asked almost sarcastically.

Mary was silent for a few moments. "I'd rather not talk about it right now." She said, sighing. 

Vincent gave a small nod and they got up together and as if she had just seen her husband for the first time in a long while, she embraced him tightly. Somewhat startled at this, Vincent held on for a short while before pulling back.

"Is something wrong?"

"I'm fine, really." She replied softly. "I'm just a little tired, that's all."

"Alright then. Just…let me know if there's something bothering you, okay?"

She gave a nod. "I will." She then began to walk with him to the bedroom. "Now let's get to sleep. This time on a bed, alright?"

He gave a chuckle and followed her to their room where she took care of her lip as Vincent slipped into bed. She then undressed and took a much needed warm shower. The rolling drops of warmth felt good against her skin and getting out of the rather restricting hooker outfit brought relief as well. Feeling more relaxed from her shower, she slipped into her pajamas and joined Vincent in bed. She gave him a kiss before turning over and drifting off to sleep, happy that the long night was finally over with. 


	3. Big Pimpin'

***********

_I kind of switch characters in this chapter.__ Just a fore-warning. I'll be doing that a lot but only either in a separate chapter or paragraph…so I hopefully don't confuse people :)_

_**********_

 Luigi awoke from his pleasant slumber, one of his girls, Amber, lying next to him. He gently pushed her head off his arm and got up. Light was already filling into the room. Sometimes, one couldn't tell if it was sunshine, or the blazing electric lights of the neon sex sign on the club below. His home was right above his "business", Sex Club 7. Though the largely popular club was his main thing, it was a well known fact it became that way because Luigi used his Mafia connections on the other club owners in the Red Light to muscle his way into becoming number one. The other clubs also paid him a large percentage of their income to even stay in business. Luigi wasn't an official member of the Leone family Mafia, more of just an acquaintance or a business partner. Despite knowing that, the other business owners in the area knew his relationship with the new Mafia Don, Joey Leone and that was enough of an incentive for them. If they missed payment, he'd send some of his boys over to reconcile the differences. It was this attitude that made him such a well known, and feared person in the Red Light. He also preferred to be close to his business. Being the shrewd man he was, he wouldn't have it any other way.

 He grabbed his silk rob from off the chair and peeked through the blinds. It indeed, was sunlight. He turned and looked over at the slumbering prostitute.

 "Amber. Hey, Amber!" 

 "Wa? Is it mornin' already?" she moaned in her Latin accent, rubbing her eyes.

 "Yeah, so get 'yer ass out!" he barked, throwing her clothes at her.

 "A'right, a'right already! I'm up!" she said, grabbing the clothes. "What's 'wit you? You wake up on the wrong side of tha bed?"

 He shot a glance at her as he started rummaging through is closet.

 "Naw, I just don't need your skanky ass up here no more. That, and you ain't worth shit in bed."

 Her face flushed red with anger as she put her clothes on.

 "Yeah, how the hell would you know anyway?" she said sourly, fumbling with her bright red tube top.

 He didn't have sex with her, it was totally against his moral code to do so. You didn't screw the merchandise. That was his policy. It repulsed him. He'd rather have someone who hadn't been banged over and over again. Not exactly a virgin, but not someone who had been used up like some of the girls working for him.

 Luigi reached around the top shelf of the closet before his fingers ran across what he was looking for.

 "You know, that's what I've been hearing from a lot of the clients.."

 "If you got a problem, maybe I should just go work some place else. I bet even the Diablos'd treat me better than you!"

 He pulled the object off the self. The pistol glistened as the sun rays bounced off it. He didn't even give her time to react. Just as she began to open her mouth to scream, he fired two shots at her and turned back to the closet as the bullets ripped through her body and sent her back, falling onto the bed.

 "Yeah, well you're bad for business baby." he mumbled, as he pulled out a dark gray Armani suite. 

 She was bad for business. Her Puerto Rican attitude didn't sit well with him, or anyone else for that matter. She recently had been having severe mood swings and was a ferocious bitch around his customers. She had applied to become a dancer in the strip club, but as he did with all his dancers, if someone liked what they did, he'd send them to sleep with the interested client. Amber seemed to have some problem with that. Adding to her attitude problem, he also heard that she'd been getting SPANK from some local Diablo scumbags. The drugs made her even more irritable and she was starting to become too demanding for her own good. That was fine. One less bitch for him to worry about. It was one things to be high on drugs while performing, but doing them in the club was something completely inexcusable. The cops were already swarming around him like vultures from his earlier convictions, and to get busted for drugs was something he didn't need.

 After getting dressed, he headed down the stairs and through a door into the club. Even at eight in the morning, the club was alive. The music was so loud and blaring, it was impossible that any of them heard the squabble that had gone on upstairs. Even if they did, they were too immersed in their own worlds to even care. Gunshots were so common in the Red Light District, they just became as normal as the birds chirping in the trees. His number one bouncer, Mick approached him as Luigi made his way over to the bar.

 "How you doin' Mick?" he said, slightly adjusting his tie as he looked around the club.

 "Just fine."

 "I got a mess upstairs I want you to clean up, a'right?" he said, leaning against the counter.

 The large bouncer gave a solemn nod and headed for the door. Mick had always been the one of little words, but he was always good at what he did. He took care of the drunks and punk-asses that felt like causing trouble in the club as well as organize the "collections" both from the businesses and the pimps. The two had known each other through high school and once Luigi was offered the club from Salvatore, Mick was the first one he hired.

The club itself was divided into two separate sections. At the front was the actual 'club'. The main area where all the younger kids came at night to get drunk and dance to their electric music until they passed out. Near the back of the building lie the strip club. The place where all the old business men and husbands came to get their kicks before their painful treks back to their home lives. There was also a small bar between the two areas where most of the drunkards and those without the cash to see the girls wallowed in their sorrow. 

Luigi looked around the club. The girls were dancing in the back, trance music was blaring from the speakers. The only area that was busy at the moment was the strip club. The dance floor usually never became active until late at night. Suddenly, from the far front entrance, he could see a portly man enter, flanked by two large guards on both sides. Luigi made his way over to the important guest. 

 "Mayor O'Donovan. It's a pleasure to see you again. Your usual seat?" he said with a smile.

 "Yes, yes." O'Donovan said as he was escorted to a table in the back area. "Say…er do you think you could hook me up with one of your best tonight?" he said, taking a seat. "It's almost election time and you know how the stress can get.."

 "Sure thing. I got just the girl. She's my number one. Real popular with everyone too."

 "That's not the one hanging out with that Joey Leone character, is it?" the mayor said, shifting nervously in his seat. "I don't want any trouble.."

 "Nah, don't worry a'bout it. They're just friends."

 "Alright, if you say so."

 "Can I get you anything now?"

 "I'd like a Manhattan please."

 "Sure thing." Luigi said, motioning to one of his men to fix the drink. 

As the mayor sat immersed in the dancing women, Luigi kept his eyes around the club, trying to spot anything that might disturb the atmosphere. He couldn't help but keep thinking about the event that happened the night earlier. His kid sister, Mary had been caught performing a sting in front of his club. He couldn't get angry at her for what she did. He never could. No matter how many times she messed with the Mafia, he couldn't bring himself to yell at her or raise his temper. His temper was one of the things people feared from him. Despite that, he never used it on Mary. That was how much he cared for her and respected her wish to join the force. She was just trying to do her job, after all. He never imagined what it was like for her, working as a homicide detective with a family reputation such as theirs. It had already been well known that their father had served as a caporégime during Salavtore Leone's younger years, alongside of Toni Cipriani's father. They were both ruthless and cunning strategists and worked wonders during the war that broke out between the Leones and the Forellis many years ago, which eventually lead to the absorption of some smaller Forelli-owned companies into the Leone regime. Luigi's own 'business' only added salt to the wound. As much as he wanted to blame himself for her misfortunes, he always understood that Mary knew what she was getting herself into when she joined the LCPD.

What did anger him was what one of his own goons did to her. He had always been over-protective of his little sister. So protective that he almost killed his friend Vincent when he was told the two were going to get married. After all, she was the only sibling he had. It was his responsibility to watch out for her. Promptly after Mary left, Luigi dealt with Rob in a manner which would temporarily leave the arrogant thug without the use of his fingers. If he hadn't managed somehow to restrain himself, he probably would have killed the stupid prick. However, they were 'on lone' from Joey, and he promised to give the two cretins work in his club. If not for that little fact, Rob would have been fish food. For now, he'd just have to live with the fact that Rob would be eating out of a straw and writing with his toes because of what he did.

As it got latter into the day, the crowds grew larger. It didn't matter what time of day it was. His whores and dancing topless women were always open 24 hours a day in Liberty. Luigi stood restless looking over his club and just as he was about to check his watch, Joey Leone walked into the building, flanked by two beastly bodyguards. Luigi's brows furrowed slightly. Joey almost never came to the club unless it was urgent business, which almost always involved Misty, Joey's 'girlfriend' and Luigi's number one prostitute. He was also worried that Joey might have caught word of what he did to Rob and had come to have a little 'talk' with him. Pushing all bad thoughts out of his mind, Luigi tried to put on a pleasant expression and went over to great his unexpected but welcomed friend. 

 "Hey, Joey. How's it goin'?" he asked cheerfully, though slight nervousness in his voice, and shook hands with him.

 "Not too good." Joey said with a hardened face. "I gotta talk to ya about some things."

 "A'right. Let's talk about 'em in my office." he said. He turned to Mick. "Fix up some drinks for Joey's guys will ya?" He then walked with Joey towards the very back of the club, past the strip area and ushered the Don into his spacious office area. Joey took a seat while Luigi headed to the small bar in the back of the room.

 "Can I get ya a drink?" he asked, pouring a glass of expensive alcohol. 

 "Sure."

 Luigi poured two glasses and handed one to his friend while he sat down at his desk, waiting for Joey to begin. The Don took a small swig of the fiery Italian liquor before talking.

 "I want to talk to you about Toni."

 "Why...somethin' wrong?"

Toni had been the caporégime the last couple of years of Salvatore's reign, and he was one hell of a guy as well. If something happened to him, it would mean bad news for the Family. He was the best there was. Though his mother didn't believe so, Toni was just as good as his old man.

"No, he's fine. It's just that he's been sayin' he needs some help dealing with all the shit that's goin' on now."

 "I got some guys if he needs more soldiers."

 Joey figured he'd be blunt with his friend.

 "I need another capo Luigi. I know you ain't with the Family..I mean really into our organization..but you're my best friend and we're still at war with those damn Triads. I wouldn't ask anyone else."

Luigi was silent for awhile. His face went passive, unreadable. In a way, he was astounded to be offered such an honored position within the family. You couldn't get much higher than a caporégime. He didn't know what to say to his friend. He liked just running his own business, even if he did give 20% of its earnings to the Family. He knew they were all in deep with the war that was still going on, and he knew he couldn't say no to Joey. They did need more help. No matter how he looked at it, he was in for good and there was no getting out now. Joey's offer didn't seem to be much of an offer. It was a more of an order. He was a capo whether he wanted to be or not.

 "I don't know what to say." Luigi said with a small laugh. He rubbed the back of his head and looked at the ceiling, letting out a sigh. "If you need me, then a'right. You know I'll do anything for the Family."

 "A'right." Joey smiled a bit, breaking his somber state, which relieved Luigi a bit. "Now you're officially one of the Leone Family. You're a made man now."

"What? No special ceremony?" Luigi joked.

"Naw. I'm not into that old-fashioned shit. Besides, we don't have the time. I gotta tell ya about some things goin' on with this war though. We just got some of the info from a few street soldiers. The Triads are getting more persistent. They think they've got us, think we've lost the war. Now they're expanding towards Saint Marks.."

 "Well what about the Diablos? Don't think they'd be too happy with it.."

 "The Diablos are siding with the Triads."

There was a short silence as Joey looked at the floor.

"What about the Forellis?

"I don't even think they give a damn. They'll probably just pack up and run like a bunch of scared little shits."

 "God damn it.." Luigi said softly. "I knew this shit was going to happen. We're in for it now. If those two gangs work together, we can kiss our asses good bye. They'll wipe us out."

There was silence for a moment. He had almost thought about finding "The Kid"...but all that was screwed up now. There was no way in the blue blazes of hell Joey would ever even consider it. He'd rather have him dead than working for him again.

 "We gotta get all the young guys together. We need more men." Luigi finally suggested. 

"No need. I called someone up awhile ago. He just arrived in Liberty today. If he can't help us, there ain't no one who can."

"Who'd you call?"

"I called an old acquaintance of my pop's down from Vice City. You ever hear of Tommy Vercetti?"

Luigi's face lit up. There wasn't a guy in Liberty who hadn't heard of him, or any other person in the criminal underworld for that matter. He had taken over Vice City during the eighties and ruled it with his empire of drug smuggling, gambling, extortion and counterfeiting ever since. He just wasn't a major crime lord, he was the major crime lord. No one could touch him and no one had dared to. That fact alone gave Luigi hope for the war.

"I can't believe he's coming to Liberty to help." 

"Yeah, well, he grew up in Liberty and I'm sure he wouldn't wanna see his people being kicked outta their homes or killed." Joey rose from the chair. "So that's that then. Go recruiting for some more men if you want. More help can't hurt, can it? I've got a good feeling about this. We'll show those fucks who owns the place." He went to the door and opened it. Before he could leave he turned around to face his friend. "Oh yeah. Was it you who busted Rob up?"

Luigi rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah..." he said quietly. "Look, Joey, I'm sorry but I had to do it. He messed with my sister, what was I suppose to do?"

 "Yeah, it's okay, I understand. He deserved it, the dumb prick. I'll take care of him too. I don't think he realizes the heat we could get if word got out he roughed up a cop. Is she gonna squeal?"

 "No..no. Mary won't." 

 "Make sure of it. Talk to her if you can. She's been getting on our case lately and we don't need that shit right now."

Before Luigi could respond, Joey closed the door and left. Luigi slumped in his chair and combed his hair with his fingers. He had just been granted the highest tier in the Family. It was the best thing next to being Don. He wasn't just some small time pimp giving out small time jobs to punks. He was a capo now. He'd soon have more men under his control and possibly another business to run. It meant more money, more power and more respect. It wasn't going to be an easy position, but he was more than ready for it.

Luigi didn't want to give his new job anymore thought. For the time being, he had a club to run and payments to collect. With a hefty sigh, he rose from the chair and left his office, ready to face the rest of the day in a much better mood.


	4. Give Me Liberty

***********

_Sorry for the delay. I am not dead, nor is the story ;) It took me a couple of re-writes to be satisfied enough with this chapter to put it up, and I'm still not totally satisfied. It's not as great as the other chapters, but the next one will hopefully be better. Also, I forgot to mention this earlier, but the year all this takes place in is 2001, making Tommy roughly fifty years, since he was 35 in Vice City (so says the official strategy guide :P). The next chapter is already written, so expect it to be up soon. I'd also like to thank my friend Nevermore for his input and help and to every one who's reviewed the fic so far. Your comments are greatly appreciated :)_

_**********_

 It was the middle of the afternoon in Saint Mark's as wispy soft clouds caroused through the bright blue sky. A perfect day, a perfect time for an afternoon outing. Andrew Collera walked down to his favorite restaurant with his little girl Samantha. He had promised to take her out sometime during the week, and Anthony's Italian Cuisine was her favorite place. Anthony's was a well respected eatery, not nearly as respected as Marco's Bistro or even Mama's Restaurant, but it held its own among the mirage of local shops. Its food was wonderful and its pizza the best in Portland. Samantha loved the pizza; it was the only thing she ever ordered. 

He never felt the need to drive to Anthony's, as it was only a short walk away from their apartment. Everything was always within walking distance, which was why the family didn't even own a car. He never liked to drive when he could save gas and walk. There were already enough cars polluting the air in the city as it was.

 After their short stroll, they arrived at Anthony's. It was a nice, small restaurant, and always attracted the better people of Saint Mark's. Marco's and Mama's were for the Mafioso, but Anthony's was for the law-abiding Italian's wanting to keep far away from their "filth". Checkered table-clothes, small candles nestled inside small glass bowls, and paintings of grapevines and the old countryside gave it a very authentic and homey atmosphere. 

 A few other people were sitting at the tables, as the lunch crowd was just starting to form. Andrew was lucky they arrived early. Ten more minutes and the place would have been filled to the gills. 

Nick, the current owner, was behind the counter, giving change to a customer. A smile quickly crossed his face and he headed over to greet Andrew.

"How're you doing Drew? It's good to see you again. Your usual seat?"

"Hey there Nick." Andrew said with a smile. He gave a small nod. "Yeah, by the window, please."

Nick escorted the two to a small table near the large window. They sat down and took the menus stationed between the small table candle and the salt and pepper shakers.

"I don't think I even have to ask you what you want, eh Sam? The usually cheese pizza?" Nick asked. The small girl gave a shy smile and nodded her head. "Okay. And what about you, Drew?"

Andrew looked over the menu for a few seconds before deciding. "The alfredo with clams, please."

"A fine choice sir." Nick smiled. "I'll be right back with your drinks. A coke and an ice tea, right?"

"You know us too well." Andrew laughed.

"I have to know my two best customers, don't I?" Nick said. "I'll be back with your drinks, okay?"

 Andrew looked at his daughter and smiled. She was always a very quiet girl who kept to herself, ever since the death of his wife. These lunches were always great ways to try and bond more with her, as he often blamed himself for not always being there for her. With his demanding, and often stressful job, Andrew hardly found the time. The lunch tradition began a month ago and it was starting to pay off. Their relationship had begun to get better and Andrew was thankful for it. 

 After a few minutes, Nick arrived with their drinks and Andrew thanked him before Nick headed back to the counter to take care of a customer. As Andrew sipped on his ice tea, the bell on the door chimed, and two men walked into the restaurant. They approached the counter and waited until the customer there left. Andrew didn't pay them any mind and he began to daydream as he looked out the window. Suddenly, commotion could be heard from the counter and then, a gun shot. The two men had executed Nick and began to fire at the other patrons in the restaurant. At the sound of the fire, Andrew grabbed Samantha and quickly hid under the table, pressing himself against the wall. He held onto her tightly and shut his eyes as bullets ricocheted off the walls and bits and pieces of  brick flew into the air. The men fired a few more shots, killing a woman seated three tables in front of Andrew and ran towards the door, shooting crazily. Once they left, Andrew opened his eyes. The restaurant lie in shambles and bits of debris from various objects and people were scattered all over the room as the smoke from the guns still lingered. Andrew gripped Samantha tightly then pulled back in horror as crimson blood stained onto his shirt. He let out a scream of agony as Samantha lie lifeless, blood flowing freely from the hole in her chest.

******************************

 Tommy Vercetti looked out onto the mass of life below him from the window in his hotel suit as the mid-day sun poured into the room, split by the intricate designs on the large arched windows. The warm rays felt good, and he closed his eyes for a bit, collecting his past memories of his long forgotten childhood. He sometimes had felt regret at choosing to stay and live the remainder of his life in Vice, rather than return home to Liberty and be with his friends and family. After he was released from his long term in prison, he had been rather hastily shipped over to Vice City and never got a chance to tell anyone where he was headed to. When he finally won control of the city, after the arduous firefight with Sonny Forelli, he felt it best to stay there and gain renounce and remain only as a memory in Liberty. He would have kept it that way too, had it not been for the current circumstances. He knew had he returned to Liberty any earlier, especially after his conquest of Vice City, that he would have made the lives of the ones he cared for a living nightmare. 

 He let out a small sigh and turned away from the glass. Grabbing a drink from the bar, he went to sit down in front of the large, big screen TV. Ken Rosenberg, Tommy's lawyer and friend of many years was already watching the news.

"Yeah, look at that." Ken muttered, pointing at the screen. "We got here right when it's starting to get good."

On the TV, the nightly news was reporting on the recent events surrounding the war between the Leones and Triads. The event of the day was an attack on a small Italian restaurant in Saint Mark's done by a group of Triads. Bloody pictures flashed on the screen of the massacred and bullet hole ridden bodies of the workers and patrons. 

 "Just in time." Tommy said softly, taking a drink. He then turned the TV off and the two sat in silence for a few seconds. 

"So, what are you going to do, Tommy?"

"Ken, how long have you known me?"

The lawyer thought for a few seconds before replying. "…fifteen years now, right?"

"Right. So, what do you _think_ I'm going to do?"

Ken gave a chuckle. "I know what you're going to do Tommy. I mean, how are we going to do this?"

"I've got my old-fashioned ways." 

 Ken gave a small nod and there was more silence. 

"So, you want me to call up some boys to send out a little message to the Triads for today?"

 Ken wasn't just Tommy's lawyer, he was also the person he trusted the most. Not only did he deal with legal issues for him, he often dealt with business matters as well. Ken was much a different person than he had been in the eighties. Ken ended up developing a nice set of _cajones_ over the years with Tommy's guidance. He was much more calm, collected and less annoying once he stopped sniffing the coke.

"Yeah…yeah. Call up Joey and work something out with him. Tell him he can have as many of my guys as he needs."

 More silence crept into the room before Ken decided to ask a question that had been nagging him ever since they left the airport.

"Tommy…do you mind if I ask you something personal?"

"Hell Ken, we've know each other for so long I doubt there's anything about me you _don't know."_

"That's a very frightening thought." Ken said, smiling. "Anyway, I wanted to ask, what kind of people are here that are important to you?"

 "Why?"

"I'm just wondering. I don't think you've ever told me about anyone here in Liberty City."

"Yeah…I guess I haven't really said much about that, have I?" Tommy sighed and leaned his head against the leather sofa. "Well…from what I do know, both my parents have been dead for some time now. My two sisters are somewhere in this country, who knows where. Not like I care about them anyway. All I've got here is a lot of childhood friends and acquaintances. A lot of people here helped me become what I am today. I owe them respect and my protection from this shit going on now." He rubbed his eyes a bit and took another drink. "Now do you know why this is important to me?"

"Sure Tommy. I knew it was, I never questioned your need to be down here."

"Then why did you ask in the first place?"

Ken paused, almost afraid to talk.

"But we're not here just for this war…are we, Tommy?" Ken softly spoke.

Tommy got up and headed for the window once more. "No" he replied quietly, almost feeling Ken's shock. 

 "We aren't gonna start pushing our coke here, are we?" Ken asked, almost startled.

"You know what those damn Colombians are selling?"

"No…"

"SPANK. Some designer drug that turns your mind into shit."

 "So what? Are we going for the lesser of the two evils here?"

"Don't you remember I wanted to make a deal with them awhile back? I wanted to make a deal for some supplies and they kept jacking up the prices, trying to squeeze every little damn cent out of me. So I told them to take their coke and stick it up their asses. Now they come here and sell this SPANK shit. You know why? 'Cus they want to piss me off. The stupid pricks…"

 "And you waited until Sal Leone was out of the picture to come back, right?"

Tommy gave a nod. "I knew Liberty was a good place to make some money, but with Sal still being the big boss here, it just would have given me trouble. So I decided to wait it out until he kicked the bucket or until he was whacked. Whatever came first. He was a good guy, I would have liked to see him again, but I don't think he would have approved of what I got myself into. He's always been real strict on drugs. Anyway, I'm pretty sure his son doesn't share his opinions."

"Have you talked to Joey?"

"Over the phone." 

"Yeah, and?"

Before Tommy could respond, there was a female voice that came from over the intercom in the room, interrupting their conversation.

"Mr. Vercetti." Squeaked the high-pitched voice of the receptionist. "There's someone out here who wants to meet with you."

"Who is it?"

"Says his name is El Burro."

"Have I heard that name somewhere before?" Tommy said, looking at Ken, who just shrugged his shoulders. "Yeah, okay. Search him for anything before you let him in."

Within a few minutes, the large white doors to the spacious hotel suite opened and in walked an extremely obese and rather scrubby looking, bald, Latin man, his arms engulfed in tattoos of all sorts. A dirty white T-shirt and long baggy pants covered his large body. Tommy tried to hide his grimace the best he could while he walked over to greet his guest.

"Mr. Vercetti. I've wanted to meet you all day." El Burro spoke in his low, husky voice, fiercely grabbing Tommy's hand and shaking it. 

"Ah…I see." Tommy said, trying to taking his hand out of the death grip. "Is there…something I can help you with?"

"I just wanted to meet the great Tommy Vercetti."

"I'm flattered, really." Being hospitable, he motioned to the bar. "Can I get you a drink?"

El Burro shook his head. "I only come to ask you something."

"That would be?"

"You plan on fighting the Diablos?"

Tommy's interest in the man was suddenly growing. "If they plan on screwing with the people of Saint Mark's, then, yes." He replied. "Why?"

El Burro gave a heavy sigh. "Then…I guess I have no choice. I must kill you."

The massive man, as fast as he could, began to reach for something out of his pants, but within seconds of his statement, Tommy, much quicker,  pulled out a pistol and aimed it at El Burro's head.

 "Now…what were you saying?" Tommy asked with a smirk.

"Then…I will not kill you?"

"Good choice." Tommy said.

 El Burro closed his eyes and began to plead. "Don't shoot El Burro! I give you anything you want! All my donkey memorabilia! Anything!" 

Tommy rolled his eyes, annoyed at the whining. "I don't want any of your shit, understand? And I'm not going to kill you." 

Visible relief showed on the man's face. No quicker had El Burro let out a huge sigh, then Tommy, in the blink of an eye, fired a shot straight at the fat man's leg. Blood spurted as the metal sped through tissue and a scream pierced the air.

"I'm just going to make you hurt like hell." Tommy smiled as if El Burro's pain gave him some sort of great satisfaction. "Now, go back to your little gang and tell them not to take a step in Saint Mark's. When you fuck with my people, you fuck with me and you really don't want to do that 'cus I get angry real fast, got that?"

Clutching his leg, face screwed up trying to hold in the pain, El Burro gave a nod the best he could. 

Tommy turned away from him and sat down at the small bar in the room, lighting a cigarette. "Good. I'm glad we understand one another." He took a drag off the cigarette and looked at Ken. "Get him out of here."

The lawyer quickly helped the injured Diablo leader to his feet and walked him out the door. 

 Alone in the room, Tommy put his hand on his forehead. This was not going to be so easy. He knew the large Diablo man was too dumb to kill him, but there were probably others out there much smarter and that's what made him worry. Up to this point, he never thought much about his safety. There weren't enough men out there with the balls to try and take him down. Now, he wasn't so sure of himself.

After a few moments, Ken returned. "You had to do that, didn't you?" he said, taking a seat next to Tommy.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"Well that's one hell of a question to ask, isn't it?"

"Naw, I just don't want the prick to bleed to death in this nice hotel, that's all."

"Yeah, I phoned an ambulance to come and pick him up."

"The asshole tried to kill me." 

"I guess so." Ken said with a sigh, rubbing the back of his head.

"Remind me to fire that receptionist."

 "Is it just me, or does it seem to be not as safe around here as we thought?"

"I guess not everyone can be happy about my visit."

"Have we even considered the Yakuza? I mean, don't they own the area where this hotel is? Last I heard they don't like Italians too much."

"It's not that they don't like them. They don't care too much for the Leones. I don't blame them either. They have been moving in on the Yakuza's businesses. That's all it is." Tommy took a glance at his watch. "Speaking of which, I was suppose to meet with a member of the Yakuza today." He finished, putting out his cigarette and getting up.

"Whoa. Where are you going?"

"I just told you."

"You're not meeting with them here?" Ken asked in his high-pitched troubled voice.

"No. I told them I'd meet them over at one of their offices."

"Are you nuts?!" 

"Look, Ken. They need to know they can trust me. If I don't earn their trust, we don't make a deal. Understand? It's much more convincing if I meet them on their own turf."

"Tommy, Tommy." Ken said, following his friend to the doors. "I understand where you're going with this but, don't you think it's just a little too dangerous to meet without any bodyguards? Especially after what just happened?!" 

"Ken. Calm. Down." Tommy said slowly. "You're going to give yourself a heart attack." And without another word he opened the white double doors and headed out of the room, not giving Ken another chance to speak.

 Ken Rosenburg watched as his friend ignored his concerns and left the hotel room, heading for dangerous territory, alone. Ken had known Tommy for many years and knew he was more than able to take care of himself. Of course, that was Tommy when he was fifteen years younger. Regardless of how angry Tommy  would be, Ken picked up the phone in the room and alerted two bodyguards to discreetly follow the crime lord.

The office building wasn't far from Tommy's hotel and it didn't take him long to reach his destination. Upon arrival, he was searched by two Yakuza goons, and once found clean of weapons, escorted to the top floor to meet with the leader. When Tommy entered the room, he was greeted by a very young, slim and comely Japanese man, dressed in a sharp suit and sitting behind a large desk. The man rose and approached Tommy bowing slightly.

 "Vercetti-san. Konnichiwa." 

 "Konnichiwa." Tommy replied, returning the gesture. 

The man then motioned for Tommy to take a seat.

"I welcome you to Liberty City and Staunton Island. I hope your stay in the hotel has been accommodating?" 

Tommy gave a nod. "Yes, very much so."

"Very good." The man paused. "My apologies. I am Yamoto Miyazuki. I am the cousin of Kenji and Asuka Kassen."

"Nice to meet you. I'm sorry to hear about your cousins."

Miyazuki gave a slight nod. "Now…let us get down to business, yes? I am well aware of your type and of what kind of business you do. So, I must ask, what are your intentions here in Liberty?"

"Well, as I'm sure you know, the Leones are fighting a war with the Triads and now the Diablos. Those two gangs are planning on moving towards Saint Mark's. I've got a lot of friends there and I don't want to see them hurt."

There was a short pause and Miyazuki gave a small laugh. "Don't take me for a fool. You have other motives as well, don't you?"

"I was assuming that's why you asked me here."

"So, do you think you'll be pandering your drugs here in Staunton?"

"Look, are you going to buy from me or not? I came because I thought you wanted to make a deal, not play thirty questions." Tommy said angrily.

"I think you misunderstand. We want to make sure you're clear on keeping your drugs out of our areas. The Yakuza are not your filthy peddlers. We are sophisticated, business oriented..."

"Which is why you're getting small-time gangs like the Yardies moving in on your turf, pushing the Yakuza out? Is that what you want?"

"We don't need anymore SPANK-crazed maniacs on our streets."

"This isn't SPANK. This is coke. This isn't some designer drug shit, alright? If you don't start to get in on this now, your 'organization' is going to end up fucked just like the Leones."

There was more silence, Miyazuki let out a heavy sigh, as if he knew the truth in Tommy's words. The man rubbed his temples and leaned forward on the desk.

"Very well then. Make me an offer I can't refuse."

 Back in the hotel room, Ken waited anxiously for Tommy's return. Tommy had always managed to make deals and get what he wanted. It was a certain charm he had about him. He knew how to deal with people. Ken just wasn't always sure people knew how to deal with him.

 While waiting alone in the room, he couldn't help but think of his family back in Vice City. During their first year of rein down in the city, Tommy had helped Ken find a girl. Her name was Kathryn. She was a nice girl, a Jewish girl and very polite and sweet. He was almost amazed that there were any women of her decency left in the city. Latter the two married and another year after had their first child. Never in his wildest dreams had he ever imagined of having a real family. All his past relationships had failed miserably, but by some strange miracle, this one survived. He gave part of the credit to Tommy, who helped him break out of his cocaine habit. Had he remain addicted to the drug, the relationship probably would have gone to hell within a manner of weeks. He owed a lot to Tommy. Ken never had very many friends, but Tommy always stood by him, despite how annoying he knew himself to be to others.

 After an hour or so, the white double doors finally opened, only to reveal a rather worse for wear Tommy. 

"What the hell happened to you? Did the deal go okay?" Ken asked, as Tommy went into the bedroom. After a few minutes he emerged in a fresh suit and sat down at the bar, pouring himself a new drink. He took a swig of the liquor and looked at Ken.

"Yeah, it went fine."

"Fine?"

"The Yakuza ran into some Yardie problems. I helped them out, so they accepted my offer. I told you I could take care of it."

"You're amazing Tommy, you know that? Freakin' amazing."

Tommy gave a slight smile. "I wish you wouldn't have sent those bodyguards, only got in the way."

"I was worried, okay?"

"Well, thanks for your concern, mom."

"You're like an animal or teenage kid or something, you know? I've always gotta watch you." Tommy gave a laugh then took a drink. "Seriously."

"Where would I be without you, Ken?"

"Probably in jail." Ken said with a smirk.

Tommy gave Ken a stern glare and then let out a smile. 

"Getting this deal with the Yakuza is a good start. They just might be enough to bring us some money here."

 "Well, making a deal with one of the local gangs is fine and dandy, but if we had an operation of our own to control down here, it'd probably be more lucrative, don't ya think?"

Tommy thought for a few seconds. "That had crossed my mind."

"Or better yet, we could make even more. Think about it. We can make some cash by having the Yakuza sell our stuff as a side project. Meanwhile, we're making the big greens with our own business down here."

"And what'll that be?"

"Didn't you use to say your dad worked at a printing factory? So are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"We've got our own counterfeiting ring down in Vice. We don't need another."

"You can never have too much of a good thing."

"We're going to piss off a lot of people, you know."

"So what if we do? When did you ever start worrying about pissing people off? You've been doing it for fifteen years." Tommy was silent, but gave Ken a stern look. "Or well I mean, it doesn't have to be counterfeiting, it was just a suggestion."

Tommy finished off the rest of his drink. He looked down at the floor for a bit and as if some great plan had suddenly come to him, he abruptly got up and then headed for the door.

"Hey, where're you going now?" Ken asked almost in a sigh.

"To see an old friend." 


End file.
